Cigar lighter



C. BAIA ET AL May 25 7 1926.

CIGAR LIGHTE R Filed May 14. 1924 Patented May 25, 1926.

UNITED STATES 1,586,172 PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES BAIA, OF PALISAEE, AND.ALFRED ADERENTE, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JER- SEY, ASSIGN ORS TO SLIP-ON CIGAR LIGHTER COMPANY, INCORPORATEDl OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

CIGAR LIGHTER.

Application led May 14,

Our invention is anV improvement in a cigar lighter of a type in which an electric resistance is employed to generate` an ignition temperature.

In general, our invention comprises a mounting adapted to be secured to any suitable support, a spring tensioned reel or drum carried by the mounting, a lighter proper adapted normally to be seated on the mounting, and a flexible cord normally wound around the reel and adapted to connect the lighter proper with a source of electric current.

By means of this construction, the user may draw out the lighter proper to a convenient position to light a cigar or cigarette, pulling out the cord and thereby winding up the reel against the tension of a spring, so that when the lighter is released, the spring will react to wind up the cord on the reel and bring the lighter proper back to its seat on the mounting.

The lighter proper is a modification of the cigar and cigarette lighter disclosed in our co-pending application, Serial No. 705,475, filed April 5, 1924, in which the circuit through an electric resistance wire is closed by the act of pressing the cigar or cigarette against said wire. l

It is an object of our present invention, to provide a lighter proper which is more compact than the lighter described in said former application, less bulky, more economical of construction, more easily assembled and better adapted for the service to which it is to be applied. T Y

Another object of the invention, is to provide a mounting for the lighter, which may be clamped to a support without marring the support or distiguring it.

Still another object is to provide a construction in which the lighter proper after being pulled away from the mounting land released, will not strike against the support and mar it. l

With these and other objects in view, our invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts as will be more fully hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims.

. In the accompanying drawings:

i Figure 1 is a side view of our cigar lighter, with a portion thereof in section;

1924. Serial No. 713,258.

F 2 is a plan View of our cigar lighter; Fig. 3 is a side view of a cord winding mechanism, lighter, a portion of said mechanism being broken away to show details; and

F 1g. 4 is a section on line 4-4 of F ig. 3.

Refer now to the drawing, the lighter proier'Ais connected by cord B with the cor winding reel C, which in turn is mounted on a clamp D. By means of this clamp, the cigar lighter may be secured to the dashboard of an automobile or any other support indicated in section at E in Fig. 1.

The clamp D is of U-shape in section, having a face two plates being integrally connected by a bottom member 12. Clamping screws 13 are threaded through the member 11 and are adapted to be screwed against the support E so as to draw the face plate l() in frictional engagement with the support E.

Face plate l is formed with a depending portion which has a recess 14 formed therein to serve as a seat for the lighter proper A, and concentric with this recess is an aperture 15, through which the cord B ispassed.

A bifurcated bracket is mounted on the rear plate 11, the two arms of which, are indicated by the numerals 16 and 16 respectively. rlhis bracket may be either inplate 1C and a rear plate 11, thev constituted a part of our cigar tegrally formed on the plate or may bc secured thereto by means of screws, as indicated., at 17. Said bracket serves as a support for the druln C as will be cxplained presently.

The lighter proper A, is formed with a cylindrical casing or thimble 18, in which is mounted a diaphragm 19 of insulating material. rThe diaphragm carries a metal washer 20 on its outer face. The diaphragm bears against an annular shoulder 21 formed in the thimble and is retained in place by a split ring 22 sprung in an annular groove formed in the thimble. A plug 23 of insulating material, is adapted to slide in the thimble and carri-es on itsI inner face a metal washer 24. A compression spring 25 is situated between the washers 20 and 24. This spring serves to establish electrical communication between said washers and at the same time it tends to press the plug 23 outwardly against a split ring 2G, sprung into an annular groove formed near the outer end of the thimble. The plug 23 carries at its outer end, a heating element 27, consisting preferably of a flat spiral of resistance wire, although other forms of electrical resistance elements might be used. One end of the Wire is electrically .connected to the washer 24, while the other end of the wire is connected to a terminal 28 centrally located at the inner end of the 1plug 23. Mounted oii the diaphragm 19, is a contact bolt .29, adapted to establish an electrical connection with the terminal 28 when the plug 2311s pushed inward against the pressure of the spring 25. n

rllie cord B consists of two electrically insulated wires which pass through an aperture in the face of the thimble 18, and one of the wires is connected to the contact bolt 29 while the other is connected to! the washer 20. A Washer 29 of insulating material is seated in the face of the thimble 18 to insulate the thimble from said wires. The cord B is wound up on the reel C and at the inner end of the cord, one of the wires is connected to a metal disl: 30 and the other to a metal disk 3l. Tlyise two plates form the side walls of a reel :and are connected by vscrews or otherwise, to a hub 32 of insulating material. This hub is adapted to turn on a shaft 33, which has bearings in the arms 16 and 16. Hub 32, 1s formed with an extension, which passes through the disk 30 so as to insulate this disk from the arm 16 and also the shaft 33. A spring housing 34 is secured to the disk 3l and within it is located a spiral spring 35, one end of which is fastened to the shaft 33, while the other end is .attached to the housing 34. p

The shaft 33, is formed with a head 36, which head bears against a Washer 37 that bears against the arm 16. The opposite end of the shaft 33, is apertured to receive a cotter pin 38. The cotter pin extends through a stud 39 formed on the arm 16.

It will be observed, that the disk 30 is entirely insulated from the rest of the reel C and clamp D. In order to establish an electrical communication with this plate, a. brush 40 of spring metal bears against the disk 30. This brush is mounted on a binding post 41, secured to the plate 1l but insulated therefrom by a nipple 44. A stri of insulating material 42 insulates the brus 40 fiom the plate 11 and arm 16. At the opposite side of the plate 11 there is a binding post 45. The binding posts 4l and 45 serve to establish electrical communication with the terminals of a battery or other source of electrical supply so that when the plug 23 is depressed, an electric circuit established through the heating element c) ln operation, therefore. it is merely necessary to press a cigar or cigarette against the plug 23 with sufficient force to close the contact between terminal 28 and bolt 29. The resistance wire 27 will then be heated by the passage of current therethrough and almost immediately will generate suicient heat to ignite, the cigar. The lighter A may be pulled out to a convenient position for use, as indicated by broken lines in Fig. l, and as soon as the lighter is released, the coil spring 35 will immediately rotate the reel C, winding up the cord B and bringing the li liter A back to the seat 14 on the face p ate 10. lt will be observed that the side wall of the recess 14 is bevelled so as to assist in bringing the lighter back to centered position in the recess.

When the lighter is released and is pulled back to its seat, it will be drawn down by gravity so that it will not strike the plate 11 above its seat 14. We are aware that heretofore, lighters have been employed in which a spring tensioned reel was used to return the lighter to position, but these devices have been arranged to be placed in a panel board instead of being clamped to the bottom of such a board, as in our construction, and much damage has been done by striking of the lighter against the face of the panel when it was released by the user. With our construction this cannot happen because the lighter always strikes the lower part of the extension 10 when released. Furthermore, the arrangement of our clamp is such that it is not necessary to disfigure a dashboard or instrument panel by boring any holes therein. The clamp is applied to the bottom of the board and the loam ing screws bear against the rear of the The .advantages of the'construction of our lighter proper will be apparent. We would call attention however to the fact that the resistance unit is not permanently connected to the washer 2O but makes contact therewith through the removable spring 25 so that if the resistance wire 27 should be burned out or otherwise `injured the plu 23 may be removed from the thimble and ie replaced with a new one. By using the annular shoulder 21 and the split rings 22 and 26 to hold the various members in the thimble 18, the lighter proper may be very easily and cheaply assembled and defective parts may be very readily removed and replaced.

e claim:

1. In an electric cigar lighter, a easing provided with a fixed support, an electrical terminal near the center of said support, an annular electrical terminal near the periphery of said support, a piston slidable Within said casing, a resistance unit carried by the piston, and a detached compression spring serving to space the piston from the support, said spring providing electrical communication between the annular terminal and one terminus of the resistance unit and said ,piston being movable against the pressure of said spring to make contact between the other terminus of said resistance unit and said central terminal.

2. In an electric cigar and cigarette lighter, a tubular casing, a fixed support mounted therein, an annular electrical contact carried by the support, a central electrical contact carried by the support, a plunger fitted to slide in the casing, an electrical resistance unit mounted on the outer face of the plun er, a central contact mounted on the inner ace of the plunger and connected with one end of the resistance unit, an annular contact mounted on the inner face of the plunger and connected with the other end of Said resistance unit, a detached spring providing electrical communication between said two annular contacts and serving normally to space said two central contacts apart, and means for holding the plunger in the casing against the pressure of said spring.

3. In an electric cigar and cigarette lighter, a tubular casing, an annular electrical contact and a central electrical contact supported therein, a plunger tted to slide in the casing, a central electrical and an annular electrical contactgcarried by said plunger, a resistance unit electrically connected with the contacts carried by the plunger, and a detached coil spring providing electrical communication between said annular contacts and serving normally to separate said central contacts, said coil spring being of such diameter with respect to the casing as to have limited lateral movement therein to prevent contacting of the spring with said central contacts. v

4. In an electric cigar lighter, a tubular casing formed with an annular seat, a support mounted on said seat, means for hold- .1 ng the support on said seat, an annular electrical contact and a central electrical contact carried b said support, a plunger fitted to slide in the casing, a central contact and an annular contact carried by said plunger a resistance unit electrically connected with' the c ontacts carried by the plunger, a sprin provlding electrical connection between sai two annular contacts and serving normally c to separate said central contacts, anda retaining device holdingthe plunger in the casing against the pressure of said spring.

CHARLES BAIA. ALFRED ADERENTE. 

